“And as a consequence of that, they are willing to make the decision to end life, notwithstanding the fact that there are alternative options out there.

“Take the case of Ashya King, they said very clearly, the Trust, that the child would die and there was no way and they had to end life.

“It took the father taking the child out of the country and now what do we know about Aisha King? Perfectly alive.

“And in this case of Alfie Evans, Alfie Evans has now been briefing for 19 hours when the Hospital Trust told Justice Hayden in February that once you extubate he would be dead within minutes or at least a very short period of time.”

We have an institutional arrogance, a belief that they can never do anything wrong

Steven Woolfe

Mr Woolfe's comments come as the 23-month-old boy awaits the ruling of an emergency court hearing at the Family Divisions of the High Court in Manchester.

The emergency hearing comes amid a huge campaign to get more treatment for the brave 23-month-old, who was diagnosed with an incurable neurological condition in 2016.

The High Court hearing started at 3.30pm today and is presided by Mr Justice Hayden.

Alfie Evans was granted Italian Citizenship on Monday as his parents continue to fight to be able to take him to Rome for further treatment.

Tom Evans and Kate James have been embroiled in a series of bitter legal disputes over their son’s wellbeing since the ruling.

Alfie Evans: A life in pictures

Fri, April 27, 2018

Alfie’s parents Tom Evans and Kate James said they were 'heartbroken' in the tragic announcement

The final photo of Alfie Evans, who died overnight following a long battle

The Italian Foreign Ministry has come through with a glimmer of hope for the desperate parents, and the couple is waiting for both the EU and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to approve Alfie’s medical trip.

Walter Ricciardi, President of the Italian National Institute of Health denounced the Hospital's decision to switch off Alfie's life support as "shocking and inhumane".

He said: "Quite often English people make decisions I do not approve of. They are unable to break away from rigid NHS norms and regulations.

"There are a lot of other more humane ways to deal with cases like this one.

"The way my English colleagues often deal with situations like this is shocking and inhumane."

An Air Ambulance awaits outside the hospital should the court rule in Alfie's favour.